Brake mechanism for automobiles and similar vehicles.



N. A. CHRISTENSEN.

BRAKE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES AND SIMILAR VEHICLES.

APPLICATEON FiLEl) SEPT. 4,19l4.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919,

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M a I. w v w $4 N. A. CHRISTENSEN.

BRAKE MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES AND SIMILAR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1914.

1,291,765. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

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N. A. CHRISTENSEN. V .BRAKE MECHANISM FDR AUTOMOBILES AND SIMILAR-VEHICLES;

APPUCATION FlLE D SEPT-4,1914.

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To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, Nmns A. Camera SEN, a citizen of the United States, resldmg at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, 'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake Mechanism for Automobiles Similar Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to brake mechanism for automobiles and similar vehicles and the objects of the invention are to improve brake mechanism for automobiles and similar vehicles in the manner to be heremafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this s ecification and form a part hererawings illustrate em odiments of this invention, and on which drawings the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts wherever they may appear in each of the several views, Figure 1 is a lan view of parts of an automobile with the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an elevation of parts of the mechanism illustrated b Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are elevations 0 details on an enlarged scale; Fig. 5 is a lan similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating a di erent arrangement of the brake mechanism; and Fi 6 is an elevatlon of arts of the mec anism illustrated by Preferably, the fluid-pressure brake mech-' anism is combined with mechanical braking mechanism in such a manner that the. mechanical braking mechamsm can be used 1n de endently of the fluid-pressure mechanism eit er as a matter of choice and convenience -or in case the fluid-pressure mechanism should be out of service for any reason. Referring to the drawmgs, the reference numeral 1 designates the front axle, 2 the rear axle, 3 and 4 the front wheels and 5 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 4, 1914. Serial No. 880,125.

1 hi FOR. AUTOIi IOBILES AND SIMILAR FIEHIGLES.

and 6 the rear wheels of an automobile or similar veh1cle. The front axle is provided at each end with steering knuckles 7 and 8 which are provided with wheel spindles 9 and 10. One of the knuckles is provided w1th the crank 11 for connection with the steering gear (not shown) and the knuckles are connected to turn in unison by the link 14 secured to arms 12 and 13 projecting from the knuckles. Preferably all four wheels are provided with friction drums 15, 16, 17 and 18 or'equivalent brake members ada ted to be engaged by any suitable or pre erred form ofcoacting brake members. The drawings illustrate an ordinary form of band bra e composed of two sections 19 and 20 the ends of which are secured to lugs 21. and 22 which are hinged together by a pivot 23. The other ends of the said bands are secured to lugs 24 and 25. A bell crank lever 26 is pivoted to lug 24 and one arm of this lever is connected by the link 27 to the lug 25. An upstanding lug 28 is 'secured to the uppermost section 19, or strap or band, and is lprovided with a nut on its upper end whic bears on a spiral spring which in turn is supported on some relatively fixed art,29 so that the upper band 19 will be lifted slightly from the friction drum when the brakes are not set. The band brakes for all four wheels are of the same construction and the corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. The bell crank levers for the brake bands of the rear wheels .are connected with the shaft 30 by the links 31 and 32 and the cranks 33 and 34. Cranks 35 and 36 are secured to shaft 30 and, preferably, the ends of these cranks are bifurcated to Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

receive links. The brake pedal 39 is pivotally secured to the vehicle by pivot 40 and is connected with crank 35 by the link 38. The end of link 38 connected to the crank 35 is slotted and the pin 37 passes through the slot so that a certain amount of pla 'or loe't motion is provided for. The bel crank levers 26 for the rear wheels are provided with a cock 44, with a reservoir 45 from which the compressed air can be discharged into the brake cylinders 49, 50 and 51 through pipe 46, engineers valve 47 and pipe 48. The cock 44 may provide for permitting a free discharge from the compressor to the atmosphere but is primarily in'- tended simply as a blow ofi cock for the reservoir 45. The engineers valve 47 may be of any preferred type and for simplicity I have illustrated a conventional form of three-way valve which places pipe 48 in communication with pipe 46 from reservoir 45 or with the exhaust 52 according to the position of the handle 53 of the valve 47.

The brake cylinders 49, 50 and 51 are of any preferred or ordinary type and are pro vided with plungers or pistons and piston rods 54, 55 and 56 which are of the same general form and adapted to operate in the same general way as the ordinary well-known forms of air brake apparatus. The brake cylinders 50 and 51 for the front Wheels are so mounted as to turn with the wheels and are illustrated as secured to lugs 57 and 58 projecting from the steering knuckles 7 and 8. Preferably the steering knuckles 7 and S are provided with lugs 59 and 60 to which bolts or pins 61 and 62 secure the" bands or sections of the band brakes for the front wheels. These pins 61 and 62 hinge the bands or sections together in the same way as the pins 23 of the brakes for the rear wheels do.

The piston rods 55 and 56 of the brake cylinders 50 and 51 are surrounded by "spiral springs 63 which are adapted to be compressed between the pistons and the heads or ends of the brake cylinders during the operation of setting the brakes and their function is to restore the pistons to their nor-- mal positions to release the brakes when the air pressure is reduced. In the speclfic form of construction illustrated in connection with the front wheels, the springs 63 takethe place of and have the same function as the springs 41 illustrated and described in connection With the brakes for the rear wheels.

The piston rods of the several brake cylinders may be surrounded by flexible rubber steer the vehicle or when the wheels move up or down with respect to the body of the vehicle, as it will be understood that the pipe 48 is secured to the body of the vehicle above the springs (not shown).

metres The drawings illustrate two schemes for applying the brakes by the fluidressure brake mechanism. Fi s. 1 and 2 s ow the handle 53 of the engmeers valve 47 connected with the brake pedal 39 so that only the single, ordinary foot movement isrequired to set the brakes. I With this arrangement the fluid-pressure brake mechanism will be operated each time the brakes are set by the foot pedal 39 and for reasons to be 7 hereinafter described the brakes can be set by the foot pedal 39 if for any reason there is no su ply of fluid under pressure for setting t e brakes. Figs. 5 and 6 show the handle 53 of the engineers valve 47 free from the brake pedal 39 for manual operation. With this construction the brakes may be set either by the foot edal 39 or by the engineers valve 47 as c oice or-necessity may determine. By using the foot pedal e the power required to drive the compressor may be conserved in any known manner while at the same time, if the pressure on the foot pedal is not suflicient to hold the vehicle, the power of the fluid-pressure braking mechanism can be immediately applied.

Referring, now, to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the handle 53 of the engineers valve 47 is shown as connected with the link 38 by the arm 67, which is secured to the a link 38, and the link 7 0 which is pivotally secured to the handle 53 and to the arm 67. A spring 68 may be fastened to the body of the vehicle by a hook or bolt 69 to insure the tudinal slots to receive the pins 37 and 71 of i l the cranks 35 and 36. These slots should be long enough to allow for the full movement required of the cranks 35 and 36 insetting 3 the brakes so that the brakes can be set. either by the foot pedal 39 or by means of 1 the engineers valve 47. In the construction and arrangement illustrated by Figs. land 2 the slot in the piston rod 54 forms a lost motion connection with the pin 71 in crank 36 so that as the foot pedal 39 is moved 1 forward to apply the brakes and the handle 53 of the engineers valve 47 is moved to let the compressed air into the brake cylinders the braking effect of the compressed air is applied immediately to the front wheels 1 while the piston rod 54 is moving outward to take up the lost motion.

From the foregoing description the operation and use of the apparatus will be clearly understood. In both arran ements illus- 1 tratedand described the bra es can be set by the foot pedal independentl of the fluidpressure brake mechanism, i there be no supply of fluid under pressure to operate thebrake mechanism. In the i s; action a and arrangement illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 the engineers valve is operated to set the brakes by the movement of the foot pedal and is operated to release the brakes by spring 68. In the construction and arrangiment illustrated by .Figs. 5 and 6 of t e drawings the engineers valve must be operated by hand either to set the brakes or to release them.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with the front and rear wheels of automobiles and similar vehicles of brake members, fluid-pressure actuated mechanism for operating said brake members, and means for causin the brake members of the front wheels to e o erated .wheels..

"2. The combination with the wheels of automobiles and similar vehicles of-brake members, mechanical means for operatin said brake members, fluid-pressure actua mechanism for operating said brake members, and a valve for controlling the action of the fluid-pressure actuated mechanism adapted to be moved by the mechanical means for operatin the brake members.

3. The combination with the wheels of automobiles and similar vehicles of brake members, mechanical means for operating said brake members, fluid-pressure actuated mechanism for operatin said brake memhere, a valve for contro g the action of steerin knuckle and provided with a piston,

a whee mounted on said steering knuckle and provided with a brake member, and a brake member adapted to be actuated by said piston to contact with the brake member on the wheel. prior to the brake members of t e rear 5. The combination with the movable steering knuckle of an automobile or similar vehicle of a brake cylinder separate] suported and rigidly connected with sai steerlng knuckle and provided with a piston, a wheel mounted on said steering knuckle and provided with a brake member, brake bands pivotally supported by said steerin knuckle, and a lever for actuating sai brake bands by movement of the piston.

In witness whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NIELS A. CHRISTENSEN.

Witnesses;

CHAS. L. Goes, J. R. Cmmm. 

